the melchizedek apocalypse from nag hammadi

322 Pages·2009·16.81 MB·English

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FACULTE DES ETUDES SUPERIEURES FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND
ET POSTOCTORALES U Ottawa POSDOCTORAL STUDIES
L'Universittf eanadierme
Canada's university
Elizabeth A. Partem
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GRADE/DEGREE
Department of Religious Studies
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Apocalyptic and Sethian Trajectories and Melchizedek Speculations in Late Antique Egypt
The Melchizedek Apocalypse from Nag Hammadi (NHC IX, 1) as a Test Case
TITRE DE LA THESE / TITLE OF THESIS
Pierluigi Piovanelli
EXAMINATEURS (EXAMINATRICES) DE LA THESE / THESIS EXAMINERS
Michel Desjardins Jitse Dijkstra
Theodore De Bruyn Kimberly Stratton
Gary W. Slater
Le Doyen de la Faculte des etudes superieures et postdoctorales / Dean of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
ELIZABETH A. PARTON
APOCALYPTIC AND SETHIAN TRAJECTORIES AND
MELCHIZEDEK SPECULATIONS IN LATE ANTIQUE EGYPT
THE MELCHIZEDEK APOCALYPSE FROM NAG HAMMADI
(NHCIX, 1) AS A TEST CASE
Dissertation submitted to
the Faculty of Graduate and Post-doctoral Studies, University of Ottawa,
in partial fulfillment for the requirements for
the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Religious Studies
DEPARTMENT OF CLASSICS AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES
UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA
OTTAWA, CANADA
2008
© Elizabeth A. Parton, Ottawa, Canada, 2008
1*1
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Acknowledgements
I wish to express my sincere appreciation to the great number of people that have
contributed to this dissertation. I extend my thanks to the members of my committee, Dr.
Theodore de Bruyn, Dr. Jitse Dijkstra, Dr. Kimberly Stratton and Dr. Michel Desjardins,
for their extensive participation and considered readings of my thesis. Dr. Reinhard
Pummer, Dr. Georges Tissot and Dr. Carl Kazmierski provided my earliest guidance on
this road, and still offer inspiration and support when the going gets tough.
My thesis supervisor, Dr. Pierluigi Piovanelli, has been a constant source of guidance,
practical advice and personal encouragement throughout this process. Through my work
with him as a student and research assistant, and his support of teaching opportunities, he
has been invaluable in helping me to develop my academic and lecturing skills. Dr.
Piovanelli has been an invaluable mentor, and I cannot thank him enough for all his hard
work in bringing this project to fruition.
Additionally, I am extremely fortunate to be surrounded by a great deal of love and
support from family and friends. They have provided an incredible amount of comfort,
commiseration and clarity through this often-trying process, and the paper could not have
been finished without them. I would especially like to express my gratitude to Paulette,
for her endless optimism and "above-and-beyond-the-caU" editorial help, and to Wendy,
who has been through it herself and so knows the ups and downs and was able to talk me
through mine. I have a wonderful extended network of friends and family in both Ottawa
and Toronto, and all of them have contributed in one way or another, whether through a
well-timed phone call or a much needed night out.
My family has been unbelievably supportive, in this, as in all aspects of my life. My
sisters Doris and Patti provided opportunities for fun and relaxation, not to mention a
great place to stay when I needed a break. My parents, Richard and Betty Parton, have
always offered full support to all of my endeavors and aspirations, and I would not have
accomplished this without their guidance and love. They promoted a love of learning and
instilled a strong sense of responsibility and determination that has served me well in this
process, as it has in life. Likewise, my "other parents," Peter and Peggy Martin, have
been unfailing in their generosity and encouragement.
Finally, I thank Garth Martin, without whom none of this would have been remotely
possible. He has kept me grounded and provided constant emotional support, particularly
in this last, extremely difficult year. His love and sense of humour have sustained and
nurtured me, and this has been as much his project as mine.
The Melchizedek Apocalypse from Nag Hammadi (NHC IX.1):
Apocalyptic Trajectories and Melchizedek Speculations in Late Antique Egypt
Summary
The Melchizedek Apocalypse is a Coptic text, written in the late second or early
third century CE, by a Sethian gnostic author, and discovered near Nag Hammadi in
Egypt. Only one extant copy of the document has survived, preserved in the translation
of the original Greek, in Codex IX of the Nag Hammadi collection. Melchizedek has
significant codicological issues, with only 19 of the approximately 745 lines of the
original document completely extant, and even with a great deal of effort and scholarly
conjecture, only about 47% of the text is at all recoverable. Perhaps because of the state
of the manuscript itself, the Melchizedek Apocalypse has been examined by only a few
scholars, those tasked with the production of the critical editions, translations and
commentaries on the text, Birger A. Pearson (English), Hans-Martin Schenke (German),
Wolf-Peter Funk, Jean-Pierre Mahe" (French), and Claudio Gianotto (French and Italian),
in particular.
The text presents Melchizedek, the king of Salem and priest of God Most High
first seen in Genesis (14.18-20), as an apocalyptic and gnostic hero, assuming the
authority of the character in order to present an understanding of the cosmos, reflective of
both literary styles and their visions of this world and the next. The text is demonstrative
of apocalyptic and gnostic conventions, as well as of the literary traditions surrounding
Melchizedek speculation, and socio-historical elements having to do with its Egyptian
milieu. In the present work I examine each of these designations on the way to
establishing the literary and historical contexts of the text.
Following the trajectory theory suggested by James M. Robinson and Helmut
Koester, through the examination of the Melchizedek Apocalypse and its literary and
historical contexts I will place it within the various trajectories of Judaism, early
Christianity and Sethian gnosticism, seeking to demonstrate the over-lapping nature of
the literary and religious distinctions of the early centuries of the Common Era. In order
to do so, I address the difficult issue of "gnosticism" as a viable categorization, beginning
with the arguments of Michael A. Williams, Karen L. King and Carl B. Smith. As
Melchizedek can be seen as a clear example of the diversity of forms within the religious
traditions of Egypt in late antiquity, it acts as an ideal test case.
i
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Summary i
Table of Contents ii
0. Introduction 1
Parti
1.1. Gnosticism: An Issue of Definition and Category 10
1.1.1. Introduction 10
1.1.2. Michael A. Williams' Rethinking "Gnosticism":
An Argument for Dismantling a Dubious Category 12
1.1.3. Karen L. King's What is Gnosticism? 23
1.1.4. Carl B. Smith's No Longer Jews: The Search for Gnostic Origins 35
1.1.4. Conclusion 50
1.2. Sethians and Gnostics 55
1.2.1. Introduction 55
1.2.2. The Great Seth 55
1.2.3. The Epithets of Seth and Seth as Revealer and Saviour 59
1.2.4. Defining Sethian Gnosticism: Jewish? Christian? 60
1.2.5. Sethian Soteriology 67
1.2.6. The Sethian Literature: Direct and Indirect Sethian Texts 70
1.2.6.1. Direct Texts 71
The Apocalypse of Adam 71
The Apocryphon of John 72
The Gospel of the Egyptians 73
The Hypostasis of the Archons 74
The Three Steles of Seth 75
Zostrianos 76
1.2.6.2. Indirect Texts 77
Marsanes 77
The Melchizedek Apocalypse 78
The Thought of Nor ea 78
Allogenes 79
The Trimorphic Protennoia 80
Untitled Apocalypse .....80
The Gospel of Judas 81
1.2.7. Conclusion 82
1.3. The Egyptian Context 84
1.3.1. Introduction 84
1.3.2. Finds in the Desert: Nag Hammadi 84
1.3.3. The Egyptian Diaspora 89
1.3.4. Alexandria 95
1.3.5. Egyptian Christianity 97
1.3.5.1.Clement of Alexandria 105
1.3.5.2.0rigen 107
1.3.6. Early Monasticism and Monastic Eschatology 110
1.3.7. The Traditional Egyptian Priesthood 119
ii
1.3.8. Conclusion 125
Part 2
2.1. The Apocalyptic Trajectory 127
2.1.1. Introduction 127
2.1.2. Jewish Apocalyptic Tradition 127
Daniel 131
1 Enoch 133
Jubilees 138
2Baruch 140
4 Ezra 141
2 Enoch 142
3 Baruch 144
The Testament of Abraham 145
Other Diaspora Literature 147
2.1.3. The Dead Sea Scrolls 148
2.1.4. Apocalypticism in Early Christianity 153
Revelation 155
The Apocalypse of Peter 156
The Shepherd of Hermas 157
The Apocalypse of Paul 157
2.1.5. Apocalypses from Nag Hammadi 158
Category I 160
Category II 164
Category III 166
2.1.6. Conclusion 167
2.2. Melchizedek and The Melchizedekians 170
2.2.1. Introduction 170
2.2.2. The Melchizedek Tradition: Origins and Early Literature 173
2.2.3. Anti-Gnostic Polemics and Hypothetical Sects:
Communities of Followers? 183
2.2.3.1.The Evidence from the Apologists and Heresiologists 183
2.2.3.2.Melchizedekians 187
Theodotus of Byzantium and Theodotus the Banker:
Dynamic Monarchians (Circa 190-217 CE) 187
Hieracas of Leontopolis (Circa 300 CE) 188
2.2.4. The Priesthood in Jewish and Christian Tradition 191
2.2.5. "The Priest of God Most High": From Genesis to Qumran,
Hebrews and Nag Hammadi 194
2.2.6. Conclusion 202
2.3. The Melchizedek Apocalypse 204
2.3.1. Introduction 204
2.3.2. Synopsis of the Text 204
2.3.3. Historical Context 206
2.3.4. Textual Issues 207
2.3.5. Significant Research to Date 208
2.3.6. Date and Provenance 210
iii
2.3.7. Key Questions 210
23.8. Theoretical Base and Importance of Research 210
2.3.9. Exegesis of the Text 211
2.3.9.1. The Revelation of Gamaliel (1.2-14.16) 212
The Lower Church 212
The Higher Church and the True Priesthood 217
The History and Destiny of the Elect Descended from Adam 222
2.3.9.2. The Liturgy of Melchizedek (14.15-18.20) 227
Preface 227
Trishagion 229
Final Exhortation 230
2.3.9.3. The Revelation of the Sons of the Generation of Light (19.127.6).... 230
2.3.9.4. Epilogue (27.2-10) 235
2.3.10. The Phenomenology of Melchizedek the Priest 235
2.3.11. Conclusion 237
3. General Conclusions 243
3.1. What the Melchizedek Apocalypse Can Tell Us 243
3.2. The Sethian Trajectory 244
3.3. The Apocalyptic Trajectory 247
3.4. The Melchizedek Tradition 250
3.5. Egyptian Origins 251
3.6. The Question of Gnosticism Revisited 253
3.7. Conclusion 256
Appendices 259
Appendix 1: The Text of the Melchizedek Apocalypse 259
Appendix 2: Names and Titles in the Melchizedek Apocalypse 287
Bibliography 288
iv
0. INTRODUCTION
Melchizedek
Without father, without mother, without descent; having neither
Beginning of days, nor end of life
Thrice bless'd are they, who feel their loneliness;
To whom nor voice of friends nor pleasant scene
Brings that on which the sadden'd heart can learn;
Yea, the rich earth, garb'd in her daintiest dress
Of light and joy, doth but the more oppress,
Claiming responsive smiles and rapture high;
Till, sick at heart, beyond the veil they fly,
Seeking His Presence, who alone can bless.
Such, in strange days, the weapons of Heaven's grace;
When, passing o'er the high-born Hebrew line,
He forms the vessel of His vast design;
Fatherless, homeless, reft of age and place,
Sever'd from earth, and careless of its wreck,
Born through long woe His rare Melchizedek.
John Henry, Cardinal Newman (1801-1890)1
In their important 1971 work, Trajectories Through Early Christianity, James
Robinson and Helmut Koester noted a "crisis of categorization" in New Testament
scholarship, and suggested similar ways in which the study of early Christianity should
move, in order to alleviate the crisis and maintain the relevance of the discipline.
The interaction between the modern understanding of reality from which
scholarly categories are derived, and the results of scholarly study which in turn
modify the understanding of reality, is both inescapable and legitimate. Progress
takes place when the modern categories employed are sufficiently illuminating
that they lead to a more adequate understanding of the data, and thus are relatively
validated by the successful research itself. But, conversely, the new insights
resulting from the application of the facilitating categories tend to put in question
these very categories and their presuppositions. This leads ultimately to a basic
1 D.H. S. Nicholson and A. H. E. Lee (eds.), The Oxford Book of English Mystical Verse (Oxford, 1917).
The biblical passages throughout are from the New Oxford Annotated Bible, NRSV (Oxford and New York,
1989).
1